After the excesses of Christmas how many of us make a resolution to lose weight and cut down on junk food, sugar, salt, coffee and chocolate in the New Year? You may be feeling very proud of yourself because you have already cleaned out your cupboards, refrigerator and larder and restocked them with fresh, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables and replaced refined grains with whole grains and swapped animal products like red meat for oily fish, legumes and organic eggs. 

But wait – clearing out your cupboards won’t help you get back in shape unless you have sound strategies in place to deal with food cravings when they strike. To stick to your healthy eating resolutions and weight loss plans you need to understand what makes your body crave comfort foods and what you can do differently to avoid them. 

 

Problem: Night time cravings

 

A recent study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that overweight people tend to eat most of their calories later in the day than people with a healthy weight. Obviously, one of the keys to eating “right” is to eat most of your calories earlier in the day.

 

Solution: Stop eating 2 hours before you go to bed.

 

More than that and you’ll get too hungry – and you’ll be much more likely to give in to your cravings. Less than that and you won’t have enough time to burn the calories before you go to sleep.

 

A healthy dinner should consist mainly of good quality protein and fibrous carbohydrates like veggies (can be a combination of cooked and raw). The fibre will keep you feeling full longer and reduce any cravings you may get before bedtime. And break up your evening routine by limiting mindless activity (like watching TV).

 

One of the reasons many people get cravings late at night is because they’re just plain bored. They consciously or subconsciously turn to food to give their brains something to do. Play a game, do a crossword, read a book, talk to your partner/kids – anything that at least partially engages the brain will keep it too busy to think about food.

 

Problem: Skipping breakfast

 

Skipping breakfast is one of the biggest causes of food cravings throughout the day – even late at night! And eating less in the evening will ensure that you’re very hungry in the morning, so it should be easier to eat a nice big healthy meal.

 

Solution: Simple!

 

Boost your metabolism (fat burning) first thing in the morning and breakfast like a king; a healthy king, of course, so no fry ups. Stick to fruit, live yogurt, smoothes, eggs (poached or scrambled) and whole grains cereal, oats and toast.

 

Problem: Skipping meals.

 

Skipping meals or eating on an unpredictable schedule catapults your body into a state of starvation, depriving your brain and body of fuel. This sets you up to crave starchy or sugary foods for energy. If you keep your levels steady, you simply won’t get cravings.

 

You should also make sure you have drunk enough. Dehydration confuses the body and will often make it feel hungry, especially if it’s cool outside. A small glass of water each hour will keep your stomach full and keep you hydrated.

Solution: Eat a meal or snack every 2 to 3 hours until 7 or 8 pm and plenty of water throughout the day.

Most people find this stabilises their energy and prevents impulse eating and bingeing. Eating before you run out of energy can prevent sugar cravings. By “grazing” like this throughout the day you won’t get hungry and your metabolism and energy levels will stay elevated all day long. Also, your willpower will stay intact because you’re not starving yourself.

Problem: Cutting down on carbohydrates.

Very low-carbohydrate eating plans create cravings for starchy foods and sweets. The reason: the brain runs on glucose, supplied by carbohydrates. When you don’t consume enough carbohydrates to fuel your brain, you get hungry, which many people experience as a craving for sweet foods.

Solution: Include healthy carbohydrate whole foods with your meals and snacks.

For example include roasted vegetables included root veggies, fresh fruits and whole grains, such as brown rice with your meals. Twice a day make sure you add colourful vegetables, especially greens, to your meal.

Problem: Not enough protein or fat.

If you go the other way and eat a diet too high in carbohydrates, particularly refined carbohydrates you will get cravings for sweets.

Your body needs a balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat because protein and fat slow the release of carbohydrates into your bloodstream, stabilising your energy and starving off food cravings. Protein-rich foods also pack important nutrients, and healthy fats and oils improve nutrient absorption, boost immunity and increase satiety at meals.

Solution: Include a dash of healthy fat (nuts, seeds, olive oil) and a small portion of healthy protein (legumes, tofu, and oily fish) with every meal or snack.

Problem: Too much salt.

Salt stimulates your palate and if you are used to eating foods heavily seasoned with salt it will take a while to re-educate your taste buds so you don’t crave it when you eat. Processed foods, chips, crackers, cured meats, dips, condiments and canned soups can make your calorie and salt intake — and desire for salt — soar.

Solution: Cut your salt intake in half.

Cutting your salt intake in half will help re-educate your palate making it easier for you to know when you are hungry and when you have eaten enough. Read labels, even in health food stores, and make lower-sodium selections. Add half as much salt to recipes, then try using half as much salt again the next time you prepare the recipe. At the table, replace the salt shaker with lemon pepper or sea vegetable sprinkles, such as nori, or use herbs to spice up your meal instead. (See elsewhere in this issue for more advice on cutting down on salt.)

Problem: Addicted to sugar.

If you have a sweet tooth you may find yourself reaching for sugary snacks several times during the day; the problem is refined foods high in sugar won’t ever be able to satisfy your cravings because they lack satisfying fibre and nutrients found in whole food. Sugar also stimulates your appetite — the more you eat, the more you want.

Solution: Replace refined foods and sugar with satisfying whole foods.

In the days and weeks ahead start becoming aware of how much sugar you are eating and cut down gradually. Take the sugar bowl off the table and if you add sugar to your drinks start cutting down slowly until you can drink them without.

This may seem impossible at first but ask anyone who has given up adding sugar to their tea and they will tell you that you soon get used to it and now the thought of a sugary tea is repulsive. Incorporate at least one sweet vegetable (such as carrots, parsnips, beets, sweet potatoes or winter squash) or cooked or dried fruit into each meal and snack. This will satisfy your sweet tooth at mealtime so you don’t need to search for sugary snacks between meals.

And start looking for healthier ways to satisfy your sweet tooth. Fruit is a delicious alternative to high calorie chocolate and instead of ice cream try frozen fruit sprinkled with cinnamon or a fruit smoothie with a handful of satisfying nuts and seeds. 

Problem: Psychological cravings.

No amount of dessert will satisfy your emotional needs or take away your troubles. Reaching for cookies, pastries, ice cream and other high-sugar foods when you feel fearful, angry, lonely, bored, depressed or stressed usually will give you more grief: aches, pains, indigestion, excess body fat and health problems that can make you feel even worse.

Solution: Real cravings stay with you but psychological ones don’t.

If you’ve eaten enough and are hydrated, putting off a decision for 15-20 minutes will help the feeling dissipate. And when a craving strikes try distracting yourself from it. For example, if you’ve been working in front of a computer but feel the need to eat, do something else. Make a phone call or read the newspaper.

Changing your mindset might be all you need. If you start to exercise and your cravings aren’t physical, you’ll feel better almost instantly. If it is physical, you’ll never be able to really get into your workout, which is a sign that you need to eat.

Keep healthy snacks around. Sometimes you just can’t take it, especially if you’re on a restricted calorie diet. Keeping healthy snacks around will help. Have a piece of fruit or some raw veggies. If it’s not helping, you’ll know your craving was psychological.

Finally, try changing your routine. Habit can affect a craving, so shake up what you do, even if it’s just slightly. Move your desk, sit differently, get up every so often and stretch or drink water, do anything different. Forcing simple changes can make it easier to follow through with tougher ones

And when absolutely nothing else works, give in and allow yourself a little of what you fancy. Have a square of chocolate instead of a whole bar, a serving of crisps (around 20) instead of a bag, a couple of organic biscuits instead of the whole packet. And never let one bad evening throw you off course; as long as you are eating healthily 80 per cent of the time you can afford the odd indulgence.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 1st, 2008 at 4:00 am and is filed under Nutrition and Healthy Eating, Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.